Jakarta, February 5, 2010 -- Five years, and a hundred days
of SBY's neoliberal regime, have not only failed to increase the welfare of the people,
but also failed to handle the Tamil refugees' problems. These failures to handle
Tamil refugees indicate that SBY's regime is obeying neoliberalism.

Already more than a hundred days the Tamil refugees have
been in Merak without any clear status. They escaped from their country to
avoid persecution and civil war because they are part of Tamil ethnic minority.
They are afraid that they will be captured and be killed if they go back to Sri
Lanka. This has been proven when one of the refugees went back to Sri Lanka because
he heard that his mother was sick. Until now he is being imprisoned in Boosa
Prison, Sri Lanka.

There are around 240 Tamil refugees who, until now, have been
living on a boat designed to accomodate for not more than 50 people. They don't want to
leave the boat because they are afraid of being deported to Sri Lanka or
they would be imprisoned by the Indonesian authority without any clear future.

The Working Peoples
Association has been giving solidarity to the refugees from the beginning, when
they were forced to dock at Merak in October 2009. At first we met the
refugees and gave humanitarian aid. Since November 15, 2009, the harbour
area has been declared as a restricted area and to enter it we must have permission
from Indonesia's foreign affairs department. Any attempts to gain access have been rejected by foreign affairs for various reasons.

Inhibited attempt by complicating the permission process to
Working People Association by the government, surely indicated that neoliberal
regime in Indonesia do not have humanitarian perspective towards the refugee.
It is very clear, that the refugee need humanitarian aid while they try to
survive in the location. But, for the sake of their good image and to obey the
agreement between Indonesian government and Australian government, this neoliberal
regime in Indonesia marginalized humanitarian perspective. These has been
proven by the death of one of the refugee name Jacob at 23rd
December 2009, because of sickness and not given decent health service by the
neoliberal regime

Besides complicating the refugees to gain humanitarian aid,
the Neoliberal regime also trying so hard to make this refugees problem does
not have any solidarity support from the people, either in Indonesia or
international community. An attempt to cover up this issue done by the
neoliberal regime by trying to arrest several activists that want to give
solidarity.

Attempt to arrest one of the activist from Refugee Action
Coalition (RAC) have been tried by SBY’s neoliberal regime. At that time RAC’s
activist involved in demonstration along with Working People Association and Confederation
KASBI in Australian Embassy at December 4th 2009. But this attempt
can be prevented by the unity of the people movement that being built at that
time.

Another attempt to arrest the activist continued on 26th
January 2010. Three activists from Canada and Australia that visit to Merak were
arrested, interrogated, and their stuffs, including passport, is confiscated. The
three activists were Saradha Nathan, Pamela Curr and Jessica Devi. Those
arrested absolutely without any rational reason except accusation for their
involvement in peoples smuggling or entering a restricted area. Their passport
being returned with condition that they are not allowed to talk to the media
and they are finally being deported from Indonesia on 29th January
2010 and forbid to come to Indonesia within six month period. The banning of
the three activists to speak up to the media surely indicates an attempt to
increase neoliberal regime’s image on international community. This is the
pattern of political imaging that is trying to build by neoliberal regime in
Indonesia.

The accusation that these three activists engage in peoples smuggling
is surely ridiculous. The Australian Humanitarian Visa form that is given by
the activists to the refugees was said as a method of peoples smuggling. One
thing that the Indonesia authority not known is they gave that visa because it
was advised by the DFAT (Department of Foreign Affair and Trade) Australia.
Noticing that this accusation would bring them face to face with the Australian
they change the accusation with violating restricted area. This accusation is
also unreasonable since the position when they are arrested were on public
space, outside the Indah Kiat Harbor where the refugee is. On that public space
there is also a restaurant and a car wash that being visited by the public. But
with any reasons, neoliberal regime would try to destroy any effort to build
international solidarity.

The government itself does not have humanitarian perspective
to deal with refugee issues. What SBY-Boediono’s trying to do is build an
international image that they are handling this problem in humanitarian
approach. But, practically, the regime treats the refugee un-human.
SBY-Boediono regime never considers them as refugee that try to escape from
persecution and a civil war. Those refugees are being considered as illegal immigrant
that doesn’t have any legal document. That can be treated whatever the regime
wants. SBY-Boediono’s neoliberal regime even collaborated with neoliberal
regime in Sri Lanka, by allowing three Sri Lanka Navy officers from the embassy
of Sri Lanka, to interrogate the refugees that being held by the Immigration, in
Jakarta on 8th January 2010.

What the Indonesia government does by deporting those
three activists is a form of criminalization of activist. Criminalization that we
in Indonesia sees done by SBY-Boediono regime over labor activist, student
activist, peasant activist, etc. These tactics is implemented to legitimize the
criminal attitude of SBY-Boediono regime. Like what the Regime done now by
holding refugee that is going to Australia.

Criminalization and un-humanitarian treatment over the
refuges is related to the Regime interest in the so called “Indonesia
Solution”. Where Australian allocate $18 million for Indonesia to fix
“migration management and border security”. Beside that also include another
budget like $24 million that being given to Australian federal police and also
the immigration and border protection to place their person in several country
including Indonesia. Meanwhile, Australia as a government that have the responsibility
because they ratified UN Convention on Refugees precisely step aside. With “Indonesia
Solution”, the Australian government would burden all their responsibility to
the Indonesian government. With such policy and the persistence of the refugees
remained inside the boat is not impossible in the future the Regime would force
the refugees to get off from the boat. To be place in inhumane detention and
had to wait for the resettlement process that could take years.

The treatment of Neoliberal regime over the refugee indicates
that neoliberalism do not have any humanitarian perspective. Neoliberalism
regime would always fulfill the demands of the capitalist and the ruling elite.
The capitalist and elite’s profit that backing up neoliberalism gain from
oppressing people. For that, unity is needed by people movement to fight
against neoliberalism.

We, Working Peoples Association, stated:

1.Reject all form of criminalization of
humanitarian activist.

2.Reject “Indonesia Solution”

3.Free the Refugee

4.No detention to Refugees in
Indonesia and Australia.

5.SBY-Boediono regime is an Australian
puppet. Because obeying “Indonesia Solution” that demanded by Australia .

6.SBY-Boediono Regime use Tamil
refugee for their own interest.

7.SBY-Boediono regime failed to
respect human rights

8.All element of people movement must
unite and build unity of people movement to fight against neoliberalism